What is the United Methodist Church doing in Haiti?

Apr 07, 2011

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work. –Nehemiah 2:17-18

A team of ten CUMC members will travel to Haiti April 8-16 to work with the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM). UMVIM exists to promote, encourage, and enable Christians to exemplify “Christian love in action” through short-term mission service. This is the volunteer component of the General Board of Global Ministries, the global mission agency of The United Methodist Church.

The work of mission in virtually any context involves relationships -- interactions in the name of Jesus Christ between and among persons and organizations-- and is found within the expression of the total mission of the Church. The UnitedMethodistChurch understands that the Church in mission is a sign of God's presence in the world. Mission is an opportunity through which quite ordinary men and women are transformed into a holy community - a church that is a sign of God's presence as we pursue God's mission.

UMVIM has been active in Haiti for over thirty years, addressing needs in education, health and housing. On January 12, 2010, a powerful earthquake caused widespread and unprecedented loss of life and property in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The earthquake was one of the worst natural disasters in modern history and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries and left over a million people homeless. In response to the crisis, UMVIM leadership proposed a new approach to a collaborative effort with the Eglise Methodist d’Haiti (EMH, the Methodist Church of Haiti) to identify the needs of the church and community. UMVIM is currently working in 21 sites in Haiti. The ChristChurch team will be in Carrefour, Haiti, to help rebuild a church and school in that community and to be Christ’s hands and feet as we reach out to serve and love the adults and children living there.